


Parental Rokushi Collection

by MrBacros



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25895299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrBacros/pseuds/MrBacros
Summary: A series of short one-shots about Roxas and Xion being married and raising children together.
Relationships: Axel & Roxas & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas/Xion (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	1. Bedtime Story

Xion stretched her tired form as she let out a yawn before leaning over and wrapping an arm around Roxas, who placed an arm around her in return, pulling the two closer together. Xion smiled tiredly as she rested her head atop Roxas's shoulder. It had been another peaceful day spent with her husband, her daughter, and her best friends; just the way she always wanted things to be. And now she'd be able to enjoy a quiet evening at home—or well, maybe not so quiet with the thunderstorm outside and the rain hitting the window sitting right next to their bed, but still peaceful. She felt comfortable sitting in bed in her sea-salt blue nightgown, leaning against Roxas's soft grey pajama shirt as they quietly cuddled together, illuminated only by the light given off by the bedside lamp.

The calming sound of the rain was interrupted by a loud and sudden _**BOOM**_ from outside, the sound lingering for a few seconds before fading back to the sound of the rain hitting the window. Xion instinctively pulled herself closer to Roxas as he held her with both of his hands around her waist. She lifted her head from his shoulder and raised her head to meet his eyes with hers. She let out a soft giggle, "That was some pretty loud thunder, huh Roxas?"

"Heh heh, I guess it was." he said, "I didn't think you'd get that spooked by a little thunder, though."

"Huh? No, I—"

Roxas cut her off, "It's okay Xion, I'll protect you." he said jokingly with a smirk on his face as he tightened his hold around her waist.

"Hey, I wasn't scared!" Xion said, trying not to giggle.

"With the way you suddenly held onto me like that? I don't think so!" Roxas teased, his smirk only growing. Xion stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to start laughing. Xion couldn't help but laugh as well. After their laughter died down, Xion's eyes became fixated on the big goofy smile Roxas was giving her. He looked so lovely... Xion turned to him and leaned over to press her lips against his, quickly feeling him return the kiss just as lovingly. As they kissed, Xion could hear the door to their room starting to open, causing her to interrupt the kiss and pull back her lips to direct her attention to the doorway.

"Kokoro?" Xion called out upon seeing her daughter standing in the doorway, surprising her a little since she thought she had gone to sleep after she and Roxas tucked her in. Kokoro walked over and jumped up onto the end of the bed before crawling up to her parents. She was wearing her pink pajama shirt and pajama pants, and her hair was as messy as her expression was tired.

"Mommy, daddy... I couldn't go to sleep." Kokoro said tiredly.

Roxas placed a hand in her black hair, "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I... I got scared," she told him, "It's raining really hard outside, and it's really dark, and the thunder was so loud and scary that I had to hide under my blanket when I heard it."

Oh... Xion wished she had known of this, then she could've been there to comfort her... Xion put her arms around her daughter and gently hugged her. "It's okay, Kokoro, there's nothing to worry about. As long as you're inside, the storm can't hurt you." she told her.

"Yeah, and I promise that you'll always be safe with us." Roxas added as he gently brushed his hand through his daughter's hair, "If you're ever afraid, we'll be there for you."

Kokoro smiled at her parents' reassurance and affection. "Thank you mommy and daddy, I feel a little better now." She said as she hugged her mother back with her little arms. "Um... could I sleep here tonight?"

"Of course you can." Xion smiled as she told her. She reached over and grabbed a pillow on the middle of the bed and placed it between her and Roxas's pillows.

Kokoro smiled and crawled between Xion and Roxas before covering herself up with the blanket, feeling much warmer than before. "Could you read me a story before I go to sleep?" she asked.

Xion nodded and reached over to the drawer on her side of the bed, then pulled out a picture book to read to her. She held the book between the two of them and began reading the story, letting Kokoro turn the pages when she was done looking at the pages. Halfway through the book, which was barely longer than a couple dozen pages long, Xion let her daughter read the words, helping with pronunciation for a couple words. Xion loved seeing her child learn to read and spell and pronounce words on a page, along with other very basic concepts. Not that she or Roxas would know what that felt like, never being children themselves.

"...And the family and their puppy watched the sunset and lived happily ever after. The end!" Kokoro read out loud. "That was a fun story. I wanna read it again!"

Roxas smiled at her, "You look pretty tired, don't you think it's about time for sleep?" he said, "After all, you can read it again tomorrow, right?"

As if to be reminded of her being up past her bedtime, Kokoro let out a yawn. Xion found her little yawn so adorable. "I guess I am pretty tired." she said before handing the book to Xion, who placed it back on the drawer. "Okay, I can read the book tomorrow! Good night mommy, good night daddy!"

"Sweet dreams, Kokoro." Xion said before reaching her head down to kiss her on the cheek, just as Roxas did the same for the other side of her cheek. Kokoro let out a little giggle before resting her head on the pillow and quickly falling asleep. Seeing their daughter sleeping, Roxas looked over to Xion and reached over to gently press his lips against hers. After pulling back he looked her in the eyes, "There's the rest of your kiss from earlier." he whispered. Xion smiled at him before laying down and wrapping an arm around Kokoro with her head rested next to hers. Xion felt Roxas wrap an arm around Kokoro as well, and the two of them soon fell asleep as they cuddled together with their daughter.

\--------------

Kokoro opened her eyes to see her parents' room illuminated with a soft orange light, much brighter than the night before. She smiled as she looked over to see her mother sleeping next to her. Kokoro gave out a yawn when she noticed that she was being held around her torso, with her parents cuddled up with her. She managed to free her arms, but the rest of her body was stuck under her mother and father's embrace, no amount of stretching seeming to break her loose any. "Mommy?" she asked, hoping that her mother might hear her and wake up.

"Kokoro..." Xion muttered before smiling softly. Unfortunately for Kokoro, her mother didn't seem to wake up any. If anything, she just held onto her tighter. Darn.

Kokoro tried putting her hands under their arms to lift them up, but found them too heavy.

"Daddy? Can I get up, please?" she asked Roxas, with no response. She tried poking his cheek a couple times, then tried lightly pulling at his spiky hair, but he was still fast asleep. Next she used her fingers to play with his mouth in hopes it might do something, but quickly regretted it when she had to smell his stinky morning breath.

Kokoro sighed and rested her head back down on her pillow as she resigned to being cuddled by her parents until they'd eventually wake up. She'd definitely be sure to sleep in her own bed next time, that way she could cuddle up with her stuffed animals instead of being cuddled like a stuffed animal. But it's not like she'd have to sleep in her parents' bed anyways; after all, from now on thunderstorms wouldn't scare her anymore, and it was all thanks to her mom and dad!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kino Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix  
> Kokoro belongs to sweetcandy13


	2. Blanket

Roxas sat in front of the sewing machine in his bedroom and smiled to himself as he finished his work, taking the end result in his hands and showing it to his wife. "So, what do you think, Xion?" he asked her as he presented the blanket to her, "Do you think she'll like it? I divided it evenly into four sections, each for something specialized for her. There's orange for watching the sunset in a place she can call home, bright blue for her favorite ice cream flavor, a bluish-purple for her interest in all the other worlds out there in the vastness of space, and pink for her kind, sweet, wonderful heart..." Roxas paused for a moment, "Oh, and it's her favorite color. I couldn't not include it in her blanket."

Xion smiled at him, "It looks great, Roxas!" she said, "You put a lot of love and effort into this. I'm sure she'll like it."

"Thank you Xion," he said as he got up from his chair, "I'm pretty new to this whole sewing thing, so I'm glad this turned out well." Roxas took her hand, "Alright, time for all this work to pay off. Let's go see how she likes her present." Xion nodded before standing on her tippy toes to kiss Roxas on the cheek. Roxas walked with her out of their room and to their daughter's room across the hall, where he smiled in anticipation as he opened the door.

Opening the door, he looked down to see her playing with her dolls, where upon hearing the door open she looked up at him. "Mommy! Daddy!" she exclaimed, getting up from the floor and running over to her parents.

"Hi there Kokoro," he said as he bent down to show her the blanket, "See this blanket? I've been working on sewing it together for the past few days, and now that it's done it's all yours!" Roxas told her, smiling as he extended the blanket over to her.

Kokoro smiled as she took the blanket, "Wow, thank you daddy!" she exclaimed before hugging the blanket, "It's so soft! And the colors are so pretty! I love it!"

That made Roxas happy. "I'm really glad you like it. I even made sure it was just big enough for your bed."

"That's really nice!" she said happily, "If you make another blanket, can I help with it?"

Roxas put a hand on her shoulder, "Of course you can, I'll even let you come up with the pattern and the colors."

"Yay!" Kokoro exclaimed. She always loved getting to help her parents with their tasks.

"Speaking of blankets, I still need to do the laundry," Roxas said as he stood up, "I'll let you enjoy your new blanket. Have fun, alright?"

Kokoro giggled, "I will!" she said. Roxas smiled as he exited the room; his daughter's giggle would always be one of the most wonderful sounds in the world. It was just as wonderful as Xion's, which said a lot considering how much he loved hearing hers.

After Roxas left the room, Xion sat down with her daughter on the carpet, "It was nice of your father to make that blanket for you, wasn't it?" Xion thought about how Roxas always put so much love into the gifts he'd get for her, often for no special occasion other than to show his love for her. It warmed her heart seeing him do the same for their little girl.

Kokoro nodded, "Uh-huh! I love it when daddy gets presents for me! I think he deserves something nice too, so one day I want to get a nice gift to give to him." Kokoro paused to think for a bit, "But I don't know what to get for him... And I don't know when I should give it to him. For his birthday? Christmas?" she let out a sigh as she held her new blanket tighter to her, "I wish I knew more about giving gifts. What do you think, mommy?"

Seeing the kindness her daughter was willing to show in return to Roxas made Xion happy. "Oh you don't have to worry about it, I think he would like anything you'd get for him. And gifts don't have to always be for a special occasion, sometimes you can just give someone a gift to show that you like them." Xion scooted a little closer to her, "It's very sweet of you to want to get something for your father, and if you want we could go shopping sometime this week to see if there's anything you'd like to give to him."

Xion felt Kokoro place both of her hands on hers, "Yeah, that's a good idea! I can't wait to get something nice for daddy!" she exclaimed before coming to a realization, "Oh, that reminds me, I have something for you!"

"Oh?" Xion watched with interest as Kokoro got up and ran over to her little desk in the corner of her room before running back with a paper in her hand.

Sitting by her mother's side, Kokoro held the paper between the two of them, "Here it is! Do you like it, mommy?" Xion looked down at the paper, seeing three stick figures drawn in crayon, one with blonde hair and two with black hair, one long and one short. Realizing the figures represented Roxas, Kokoro, and herself, Xion noticed that in the drawing Kokoro was holding her and Roxas's hands, and in each hand appeared to be her interpretation of what a Keyblade looks like. And at the bottom of the paper was written in somewhat crude handwriting, "When I grow up!"

"This is a very nice drawing. You did a good job on it," Xion told her, getting a smile out of her, "So when you grow up, you want to be...?"

"When I grow up, I want to be just like you, mommy!" Kokoro exclaimed. She wrapped the blanket around her back and wore it like a cape, "The way you go to other worlds and help people and be a hero is so cool! I want to be like that one day!" Xion's heart skipped a beat—it wasn't the first time she heard that from her daughter, but it still stirred so many emotions within her. The fact that her child looked up to her and saw her as such an inspiration really, truly meant an awful lot to her, but at the same time, Xion didn't know how to feel about the way her dream was to be just like her... Maybe because she had spent so much of her early life fighting to be her own person rather than a copy of another. Shouldn't her child want to have her own unique interests and dreams and desires?

But then again, maybe that was just part of being a mother; being a positive influence on her child's life and being someone who could inspire her child to realize their hopes and dreams. After all, it's not like her child dreamed of becoming her, Xion, but rather to become someone who could follow in the positive examples she had set; helping others and trying to do the right thing. It was almost hard to believe that after everything she of all people could be a role model—someone who could be looked up to, and to someone so close to her no less... But this was her reality now, and she would never take it for granted.

As she thought to herself, Xion hadn't noticed Kokoro climbing up on her lap, eagerly waiting for a response. Xion was snapped out of her thoughts when Kokoro clapped her hands in front of her face to try and get her attention. "Mommy?" she asked.

"Oh, sorry, I got a little distracted..." Xion admitted, "But I think that's wonderful, Kokoro. No matter what you want to be when you grow up, I'll always be there to make sure you can always follow your dreams." Xion bent down and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you mommy," Kokoro said as she hugged Xion, to which Xion hugged her in return. As they hugged, Xion could feel Kokoro's stomach rumbling, "Sounds like you could use some lunch, huh?" Xion remarked.

Kokoro giggled, "Yeah, I'm a little hungry."

Xion got up and settled Kokoro in her arms as she held onto her shoulders, giving Xion a nice view of the smile on her cute little face. She felt so small and light in her arms. Xion was used to being smaller than most other people, but she couldn't imagine what it must be like being as itty bitty as her little girl. It must be like a whole other world for her being so tiny, she figured.

Xion carried Kokoro out of her room and downstairs to the kitchen and set her on the counter as she began making her lunch; a couple lettuce, cheese, and ham sandwiches, some apple slices, and a nice healthy salad. As she made her plate, she noticed Kokoro crawling over to the cookie jar on the other side of the counter, and went over to remind her that she had to save her desserts until after she was done eating.

After finishing her putting together her plate, Xion placed Kokoro down on the floor and followed her into the living room where she saw her spreading the blanket onto the floor before sitting on it. "Mommy look, I made a picnic!" Kokoro exclaimed.

"Aww, that's very nice," Xion said before bending down to give her the plate, "I'm going to go make some lunch for myself, I'll be right back." Xion told her before leaving for the kitchen. She returned with her own plate before sitting down with Kokoro on the blanket. As they ate their lunch, Xion asked Kokoro about how she was feeling about starting school in the next week, what she wanted for dinner, if she wanted to go shopping with her later, how she was enjoying her lunch, and so on. For as many questions her daughter had to ask her, Xion had lots of questions to ask in return. It felt important to her as a mother to look after how her child was feeling, what kind of things she liked, and how her education was coming along.

After they finished eating, Xion got up and brought their plates over to the kitchen sink for dish washing, looking back into the living room to see Kokoro running around with her blanket. Xion was sure that Roxas would be glad to know she was having fun with the blanket he made for her. While washing the dishes, Xion heard a sudden crash come from the living room and immediately stopped what she was doing to go check up on Kokoro.

Xion ran into the living room and looked down to see Kokoro on the floor next to a knocked over lamp, and in her hands she held her blanket, which had a noticeable tear across it. "Kokoro!" Xion called out, "Are you alright? What happened?"

Kokoro's eyes widened as she looked up to see Xion standing next to hear, "AH! M-Mommy!" she said, a startled look in her eyes, which were beginning to tear up, "I... I... I.." Kokoro was unable to finish her sentence before choking out a sob as she began to cry. Before Xion could comfort her, she grabbed her blanket and got off the floor before running off in tears. "Kokoro, wait!" Xion called out, but she had already run upstairs. She wasted no time in following her up.

When Xion got to the top of the stairs she looked around but couldn't see Kokoro anywhere, so she decided to walk over to her room where she figured she probably ran off to. Xion let out a sigh upon attempting to open the door to her room, only to find that it was locked. She didn't like invading her daughter's privacy, but at the same time she knew all too well that her isolating herself when something was troubling her would only make things worse, especially since she seemed to feel guilty about what had just happened in the living room.

Xion summoned her Keyblade and gently tapped it on the door to unlock it, then dismissed it before opening the door and walking in. Upon entering, she saw her at the end of her bed looking down with her face buried in her hands. Xion slowly approached her and knelt down in front of her, "Kokoro?" she asked softly, gently placing her hand on her shoulder. Kokoro slowly lifted her face out of her hands and timidly met her face with her mother's, revealing her tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes. It hurt seeing her daughter so sad like this, and the fact that she had Roxas's eyes only made it harder to see her crying.

"Is everything alright?" Xion asked, not getting an answer out of her. Maybe that was a poor question to ask... "Did something happen there?"

Kokoro sniffed as she attempted to regulate her breathing, "I was playing with the blanket daddy gave me... and I was running around with it, and then it got stuck on the lamp, and then the lamp fell over, and then I fell down and tore the blanket..."

"Oh..." Xion said, "So... why'd you run off like that?"

Kokoro was silent for a few seconds as she looked down, "I did a bad thing, so I thought you'd be upset and wouldn't want to see me... But I didn't mean to do it, I promise...!"

"Oh, Kokoro... I could never be upset at you." Xion told her softly as she lifted her head back up to look her in the eyes, "And I certainly would never want to avoid you. Besides, you didn't do anything wrong. You just had a little accident, you didn't mean to do anything bad."

"But... daddy must have worked really hard on making that blanket for me, and I already ruined it." Kokoro said, starting to tear up again as she showed her mother the blanket, "I tried to fix it, but I.. I only made the tear worse..."

Before she could start crying again, Xion leaned forward and put both of her hands on her little shoulders, "It's okay, Kokoro, really. You didn't ruin anything." she told her, pulling back slightly to look her in the eyes, "Your father will understand, and he'll be more than willing to fix it back to normal for you."

"R-really?" Kokoro asked, the sadness starting to fade from her voice. "We can fix it?"

Xion gave her a reassuring smile, "Of course we can, in fact I'm sure your father will be happy to let you help him sew it back together."

Kokoro started to smile again, "That makes me feel better." she said.

"I'm glad to hear that. I love you." Xion said as she wrapped her daughter in a hug.

"I love you too, mommy!" Kokoro exclaimed as she hugged her mother back.

After pulling out of their hug, they directed their attention the door as it started to open before Roxas walked into the room, "I heard something while I was doing the laundry, is everything alright?" he asked.

"Uh-huh!" Kokoro responded, "I was playing with the blanket and I fell down and accidentally made a tear in it. Could you fix it for me?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Roxas told her, "You didn't get hurt or anything when you fell down, right?"

Kokoro shook her head, "Nope! I'm all fine. I did get a little sad because I knocked something over and ripped the blanket, but mommy made me feel better and now I'm not sad anymore!"

"Oh really?" Roxas said before looking over to Xion and smiling at her. "That's good to hear. Your mother really is an amazing person."

"Yeah! She is!" Kokoro agreed. Xion smiled brightly.

"Alright, how about we go fix up your blanket now?" Roxas said before picking up his daughter and carrying her from her room to his and Xion's.

Xion followed him and watched as he sewed the blanket back together with Kokoro on his lap, and within a minute he was all done. 

"Yay!" Kokoro cheered seeing her blanket back to normal.

"All better!" Roxas exclaimed as he gave her the blanket, "How does some ice cream sound right about now?"

"Ooh! Awesome!" Kokoro said before giggling as Roxas picked her back up.

Xion smiled—Roxas was such a wonderful father. She would've loved having a childhood like her daughter's; a loving mother and father who would always be there to comfort her whenever she needed it, a place she could call home and feel safe in, experiencing new things every day, and just being happy. Even though she had never gotten a childhood like that for herself, all that mattered was being able to give it to her precious baby girl alongside the love of her life. As long as she and Roxas could give her the best life possible together, she'd always be happy.


	3. Discovery Channel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas and Xion consider the possibility of their baby going to school.

Roxas laid on the couch, his head sat comfortably on his pillow as his feet rested against his wife's side. On her lap sat their little five-year-old daughter wrapped around her arms as they watched one of their favorite television programs. They were really into it, although Roxas was more just idly watching as he listened to them commentate over the show.

"Mommy, look at the bunny!" his daughter said, pointing to the television screen.

"I see the bunny, Kokoro," Xion replied, "Can you tell me what it's doing?"

"It's uh.. Oh, it's in the ground, and it's scratching at the dirt, so it's... making a tunnel!" Xion nodded at her answer, "Oh, and the funny sounding man talking on the TV said something about a 'warren', what's that? Is that the name of the bunny they're showing?"

"A warren is a name for a group of burrows, which are another name for the tunnels that the bunnies live in." Xion told her.

"Ooh!" Kokoro responded. There was something about these nature documentaries that just seemed perfect to watch with their daughter; not only were they fun to watch, but they were also a great way to keep her engaged in learning about animals and nature. Kokoro always had lots of questions and observations to ask while watching, and Xion always had lots of answers and explanations. Roxas wondered if Xion knew how great of a teacher she was.

They continued watching the documentary together, their daughter learning about rabbits only being able to hop, what foods they ate, their interactions with other rabbits, and so on. As always, Kokoro loved commentating over the footage and having everything explained for her.

"These bunnies are so cute!" Kokoro exclaimed, "Mommy, daddy, can we get a pet bunny rabbit?"

Roxas sat up and looked over to her, "Maybe one day," he said to her, "In a few months if that's still something you'd like we could consider it."

"Yay!" she exclaimed. Roxas wasn't sure whether or not she'd still be interested a few months from then, but even if she was he didn't know whether or not a little girl her age would be ready to take care of a pet. He'd have to ask Xion about that seeing as she knew more about general parenting than he did from all the books she'd read about being a mother and raising a child. Not that he was clueless about parenting or anything—he certainly liked to think he was doing a good job raising his little girl, but Xion would probably be more familiar that kind of thing.

Roxas heard a sound from the front door and looked over the couch to see Axel walking in and making his way to the couch and sitting down on the armrest next to Xion and Kokoro.

"Oh, hi Axel!" Xion said, "How's it going?"

"Good, good, and how's my favorite niece doing?" Axel asked as he ruffled Kokoro's hair, making her giggle.

"Hehehe, hi Uncle Axel!" Kokoro said amidst her giggling, "I'm good! Mommy and daddy are making dinner soon. Are you gonna join us?"

"Of course I am, that's why I came over," Axel told her, "Oh, well there's also something I'd like to talk to your parents about, but of course I'm not going to miss out on your mom and dad's delicious cooking." Roxas looked at him curiously, wondering what he intended to talk about.

Xion set Kokoro to the side on the couch and stood up, "Well then, I'd best start getting everything ready," Xion said, "Maybe you could talk about it while I get dinner prepared?"

Axel nodded and the two headed into the kitchen. Roxas watched the last minute of the documentary with Kokoro before getting up to join Xion and Axel in the kitchen. Kokoro stayed on the couch to watch the next documentary about black bears, which Roxas would've liked to watch with her, but he wanted to know what Axel wanted to tell him.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw Xion preparing the stuffed quail they'd be having for dinner, and the ingredients for the banana soufflé for dessert as Axel got the oven ready.

After getting the oven ready, Axel turned to Roxas and Xion, "Alright, so there's something I've wanted to talk to you two about for a while," Axel said, resting his arm on the counter, "It's about Kokoro. School's starting in a few months and I've been wondering if you have been considering signing her up for Kindergarten at the start of Fall."

Roxas took a few seconds to think about it, "Well... I'm not sure we really need to. I mean, me and Xion have been doing a fine enough job schooling her and making sure she keeps up on her learning, and Xion is an absolutely amazing teacher!" he said as he put an arm on her shoulder, "Kokoro learns so much from her every day, and she's so smart and caring and good at getting her to get excited about learning new things, and..." Roxas noticed Xion starting to blush a little and realized he was getting all gushy over her again, "...Well, basically I just don't think we need her to spend the day getting taught from someone else when me and Xion are doing a good enough job."

Axel put a hand on his chin, "Roxas..." he said with the kind of tone that he'd give whenever Roxas didn't entirely understand a situation, "School isn't just for learning things. Sure, that's sort of a big part of it, but the most important part is for her to be able to meet new friends and socialize with other kids her age. I'm pretty sure you can understand that it's very important that she has friends growing up."

"But Axel, she has me and Xion and... hmm... well..." Roxas realized that he and Xion were probably different from what Axel was referring to when he said "friends", but at the same time they were their daughter's friends, right? Sure they were her parents, but they loved spending time with her and playing with her and having fun together and sharing ice cream and laughing over silly things, and those were all things that Roxas had always associated with being friends. But then again, the lines between "best friend" and "family" had always been really blurred to Roxas... Maybe Axel meant having other kid friends instead of just adults like him and Xion, but he and Xion were both more or less children when they became best friends with Axel, who was very much an adult. Or perhaps the difference was that he and Xion spent every day with her and she depended on them to look after her and care for her, whereas the kind of friend Axel was talking about was someone she'd be able to talk and play with and have as an equal while not having them as a constant part of her life for every hour. Huh... that made sense to Roxas, actually.

"Okay, I guess I kind of realize how me and Xion are different from the kind of friend she'd have at school." Roxas admitted, "But what if she spends the whole time missing us? I know she likes spending time with us as much as we do with her."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Axel said, "There's plenty of things for her to do at school to keep her occupied. Besides, just imagine how excited she'd be once school's out and she gets to see you two again."

Roxas looked down briefly, "I guess.. Maybe it's just that I'm really going to miss her myself." he said, "I'm used to being able to spend all day with her, and if she's at school and Xion's off on a mission, it's going to get really lonely here at home all by myself."

Axel shrugged, "If I don't have a mission to attend to myself I could always keep you company," Axel suggested, "While you wait until it's time to pick her up we could watch a movie or something, after all, I'm sure you wouldn't mind watching some real movies after always having to watch whatever girly baby movies the girls make you watch with them."

"Hey!" Xion said, "I'll have you know that the Twilight Princess series is a charming and wonderfully animated set of movies suitable for the whole family, that's why Kokoro always picks it when we watch movies together. And I'm not a girl! I'm a grown woman!"

Axel laughed, "Pfft, whatever you say, half-pint." he remarked.

Roxas chuckled, "Xion, I'm happy you two like those movies but I'd prefer to watch something a little less... girly. There's only so many sparkly ponies and rainbows I can handle before I start wanting to see something blow up."

"I guess you're just not the target audience for those movies, but I personally think they're lovely, and as long as me and Kokoro enjoy them we'll keep watching them together." Xion said.

"I may not be able to get into that sort of thing, but if it means you two are happy then I'll go along with it. I'd just like to watch something that appeals more to my demographic." Roxas replied, "Anyways, what do you think about our daughter going to school, Xion? I guess I'm alright with it if it means her making new friends."

Xion considered the question for a few seconds, "Hmm.. well, mostly I'm concerned that she might have to deal with a mean teacher that yells at her and makes her do too much work and treats her unfairly. I don't want that." Xion responded, "And what if she hates being there and just wants to leave the whole time? Hayner always complained about having to deal with school, and I don't want her to have to go someplace that makes her nothing but annoyed and frustrated."

"Yeah, I was kind of thinking of that too..." Roxas added.

Axel raised an eyebrow, "Xion, Roxas, you really don't have to worry about any of that. It's just Kindergarten, it's not somewhere that she'll have to deal with any yelling or stress. The whole point of Kindergarten is getting her used to school, most of her time spent there is going to be her playing and learning about really basic stuff." he told them, "As for Hayner complaining about school, that was just him wishing he could practice Struggle instead of having to do his homework, but that doesn't mean he hated everything about school."

"Oh, that's a relief!" Xion said, "Okay, if there's no more problems with it, I think we can sign her up for her first day of school."

Roxas nodded, "Yeah, we'll get around to that this week. Thanks for suggesting it, Axel," he said, "I just wish I knew more about school in the first place. Between never having a childhood and being dragged into all that Keyblade business, that's the kind of thing I never got to experience for myself. Mostly I'm just concerned that I won't be able to answer any of her questions about school when I don't really know anything about it."

Xion gently placed a hand on his back as she looked up at him, "I do feel the same way Roxas, but I don't think it'll be such a big deal. We have the next few months to learn more about school, and I'm sure they'll let us take a look around and explain how things work there." Xion assured him, "Plus, when she gets out of school and we go to pick her up I bet she'll tell us all about her day at school, and then we can learn something from her instead of the other way around! Doesn't that sound exciting, Roxas?"

Roxas smiled as he felt a sense of relief course through him, "Yeah, that does sound exciting. I'm actually really looking forward to it."

"Good to know that's been cleared up," Axel said with a satisfied look on his face, "Now, how about we get to making that dinner? You two being clueless is starting to make me hungry."

Roxas laughed, "Oh thanks!" he responded, "How can we be clueless if we figured it out? Sounds like we've got a clue to me."

"Oh yes, you figured it out... after I explained everything to you!" Axel teased.

The three had a good laugh before Xion felt a hand tugging at her skirt and looked down to see that Kokoro had come into the kitchen and was trying to get her attention. "Mommy, when's dinner gonna be ready? And what were you and daddy and Uncle Axel talking about?"

Xion bent down to pick her up and held her up to her chest, "Oh it'll be done soon, Kokoro. And as for what we were talking about..." Xion smiled as she looked her in the eyes, "We'll talk about it over dinner. Until then, how would you like to help make the desserts?"

"Yeah! I'd love to help!" Kokoro exclaimed. Dinner was sounding better and better to Roxas by the second.

\--------------

Roxas sat on the seat of the tram with Kokoro sitting between him and Xion. In less than a couple minutes the tram would stop at the school, where his daughter would be staying until the afternoon. Roxas was happy that she seemed really excited about it, and hoped she had a good time there. He was a little nervous about it at first, but when Olette told him she'd be taking a job teaching children in Kindergarten while she continued her studies, it made him a lot more relaxed about the whole thing knowing that one of his friends would be looking after her.

The tram eventually stopped and Roxas watched as all the other families and children made their way out. He sat up and followed Xion and Kokoro out the tram to the front of the school, where he bent down in front of her alongside Xion to look her in the eyes before putting a hand on her shoulder. "I guess we'll be seeing you later once school's out," he said, "Promise you'll have fun, alright?"

"I will!" Kokoro exclaimed.

"And be sure to make some new friends while you're there!" Xion added, "Let us know how your day went when we come to pick you up. We love you." Xion said softly before giving her a kiss on the cheek as Roxas did the same for her other cheek, making her giggle.

"Okay, I'm gonna go to school now! Bye mommy, bye daddy!" Kokoro said before skipping over to the school's front doors. As she reached the doors she turned and gave a wave, and Roxas waved back at her alongside Xion before she headed into the school.

"I guess it's just us now, huh Roxas?" Xion said as she looked at him.

"Yeah... I wonder what we're going to do while we wait to pick her up," Roxas said, "This feels like a big change, usually I'd spend this time of day playing with her or reading her a book or something, but since she's going to be at school... Hmm..."

"Well, I was thinking maybe we could go out for lunch together?" Xion suggested, "I mean, it has kind of been a while since we've gotten to go out together, just the two of us..."

Roxas smiled, "That sounds like a lovely idea." he told her, "And until then maybe we could play some video games?"

"That sounds good," Xion replied, "After all, I still need to get you back for last time. And then once I beat you, you'll have to wash all the dishes for the next two weeks!"

Roxas chuckled, "As if you beating me is actually going to happen," he said playfully before she gave him a little bump on the shoulder, "Alright Xion, let's head back before you get too caught up in your fantasies." Roxas took his wife's hand and led her back to the tram, eager to spend the rest of the morning with her.

\---------------

"Okay class, since it's everyone's first day here, today will mostly just be about getting to know each other and getting familiar with the kind of things you'll be doing at school." Olette said as she addressed the class of children who sat on the rug in front of her desk. "First I would like everyone to introduce themselves and tell everyone else about what kind of things they like, what they want to be when they grow up, or just anything they'd like to share about themselves. Just raise your hand and you can come up front to tell the class about yourself!"

Among the other children, Kokoro raised her hand up high with excitement. Olette pointed her finger at her, "Alright, how about you come up and be the first to introduce yourself?"

"Yay!" Kokoro exclaimed, hopping up and moving over to the front of her desk before facing the rest of the children, "My name is Kokoro and this is my first day at school! I'm really excited to meet everyone and make new friends!" she said happily, "I like animals and eating ice cream and drawing pictures and picking flowers, and when I grow up I want to be like my mommy! I want to be super cool like her and go to other worlds and help people and find lots of cool stuff and carry a—"

"Okay Kokoro, that was a very nice introduction!" Olette interrupted her, her eyes having widened after hearing the last part of Kokoro's introduction, "Thank you for telling the class about yourself."

Kokoro looked at her confusedly, "But Mrs. Olette, I wasn't done yet." she said.

"It's alright, you did a good job introducing yourself, but we have to make sure everyone has time to talk about themselves." she explained.

"Oh, okay!" Kokoro said, seemingly satisfied with her explanation. "Can I talk more about what I want to be after class?"

"Sure, you're welcome to talk with me after class." Olette offered. She was almost a little shocked; hearing about other worlds and Keyblades wasn't something she expected to hear about in her class. Had Roxas and Xion really forgotten to tell her that she shouldn't be talking about those kinds of things in front of other people? She facepalmed internally at the thought, mostly because that seemed like the kind of thing Roxas and Xion would absolutely forget to bring up. She'd have to have a talk with them later...

\--------------

"Mommy, daddy!"

Kokoro ran up to Roxas and Xion as they got out of one of the trams that had rode up next to the school. Roxas bent down and picked her up as she gave him a hug around the chest, "Hi sweetheart, how was your day at school?" he asked as he carried her into the tram.

"Oh, it was super fun!" she exclaimed, "I got to meet all the other kids and then we got to draw pictures, then we went to the playground and I got to play on all the equipment!" Roxas smiled as he looked at her expression; she looked really happy. "Then I got to have a yummy lunch at the cafeteria, and then we got to learn about some animals! Mommy already taught me most of what Mrs. Olette was teaching, but it was still fun!"

"That's wonderful to hear!" Xion said, "Did you make any new friends?"

"Uh-huh!" Kokoro responded, "I dunno their names yet, but they were really fun to play with! We played chase on the playground and then we ate lunch together. They were really nice!"

The fact that his daughter was already making new friends made Roxas really, really happy. It made him glad he and Xion took Axel's advice and decided to sign her up for school.

"I can't wait to see my friends again tomorrow." Kokoro said as Roxas sat down with her and Xion.

Xion smiled, "But Kokoro, today is Friday. There's no school on Saturday and Sunday, remember?"

"Wha- Aw man!" she pouted a little, "I wish I could go back to school sooner. I had so much fun!"

"Don't worry, Kokoro, you've always got us until then." Xion said before reaching over to give her a kiss on the cheek, getting a giggle out of her. Roxas felt satisfied; even though he never got to experience what it was like to go to school while growing up, knowing that his baby girl could get that experience while enjoying it so much made it all worth it to him.


	4. Altered Melee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas and Xion celebrate their daughter's thirteenth birthday.

A yawn escaped Xion as she leaned against Roxas on the bench where they sat in the little fenced-in backyard of their house. It was getting a little late, surprising her a little with how quickly the day had gone by. But it had been such a wonderful day spent celebrating her eldest daughter's thirteenth birthday, from the quiet morning spent with her and Roxas where she prepared a special breakfast for her, to the lively birthday party she had with all of her uncles and aunts and cousins and friends from school. But the best part of it all was just seeing how good of a time her daughter was having throughout the whole day. Plus, her children's birthdays were just really special to her in general, certainly much more than her own.

The party had largely died down by the end of the day as Roxas and Xion said goodbye to everyone as they left to go back to their own homes. The outside air was a little chilly, so Xion planned to move back inside soon. Before she could, however, her daughter walked into the backyard and up to her.

Xion looked up at her, "Hi sweetie. Did you have a good birthday?" she asked, her hands folded in her lap. The fact that she was looking up at her in the first place was not lost on Xion; she used to be so little, and now she stood all the way up to her chest! Her baby had really grown up so much...

Kokoro nodded, "I did! I had such a good party, and I loved the desserts you made this year. They were so yummy! Plus, it was a lot of fun having all my friends over." she said before looking over to Roxas, "Oh, and I liked the birthday song you played for me this morning, daddy! It felt really special."

Roxas smiled, "Anything to show how much I care about my little girl." he said.

Kokoro giggled, "Aw, am I still a little girl now that I'm thirteen?"

"If your Uncle Axel has anything to say about it, yes you are," Xion said, "I mean, I'm a grown woman with seven children and he still insists on treating me like a kid!" she chuckled, although it was still kind of surreal to think that she was a mother of a teenager now, much less a mother of six other precious little lights. She and Roxas had really come a long way together...

"Well, that's Axel for you," Roxas remarked with a chuckle, "But I'm really proud of you, sweetheart," he said more sincerely, "You're doing so well in school, you're so kind and sweet to everyone, and you're such an amazing big sister to all your little siblings!" Roxas took her hand, and for the slightest moment Xion swore she saw a light shining from their hands as they touched, "No matter how much you grow up, I hope that, inside, you always stay the little Kokoro I know and love."

A noticeable blush appeared on Kokoro's face upon hearing her father's praise. She always got a little embarrassed whenever she would get complimented, something Xion could understand as she wasn't very good with compliments either. "Oh, thanks, daddy! Hey, it's kind of cold out here, shouldn't we head back inside?" Kokoro suggested, not terribly subtly trying to change the topic.

"I guess it is getting a little close to your bedtime," Roxas said. It was actually well past her bedtime, but they weren't going to make her go to bed early on her birthday. He stood up, "Alright, me and your mother will clean up what's left over from the party, and you can enjoy the rest of your special day however you want."

Xion stood up and took her hand as well, and as she did, she was surprised by how warm it felt—noticeably warmer than usual, in fact, and Xion was pretty sure that wasn't just from the cold air outside. Come to think of it, it had been like that every time she touched her daughter's hands throughout the day...

As they walked towards the backyard door, Kokoro suddenly stopped. Xion looked over and saw that she had her eyes closed and seemed a little tense, "Is everything alright, sweetie?" Xion asked, noticing her hand was being held tighter by her daughter's, which seemed to be getting warmer and warmer.

"My hands feel... this feeling is..."

"Kokoro, are you feeling okay?" Roxas asked. Xion looked up and saw that he was getting all nervous—not that she wasn't feeling that herself. She looked down and her eyes widened as she saw a light glowing from her and her daughter's hands, and on her other side coming from her and Roxas's, and it was only getting brighter and brighter.

"I... feel...!" Kokoro let out when, suddenly, Xion heard it; the same sound she had heard countless times throughout her life, the unmistakable sound of a Keyblade being summoned. Roxas had... summoned his Keyblades? She looked over, and Roxas was not holding his Oathkeeper nor his Oblivion. Feeling a new warmth in her hand, her eyes darted over to Kokoro's hands, upon which her eyes shot wide open as she let out a loud gasp at the sight.

"Kokoro, you just...?!"

"Summoned a... your... Keyblades!?" Roxas finished her sentence, which she was too shocked to finish. Looking down she saw not one, but two Keyblades in her daughter's hands. In the hand that Xion held was the Oathkeeper—the exact same appearance as Roxas's own, and in her other hand that Roxas held was a different Keyblade; one she had seen Roxas use a couple times before... the name of it was "Two Become One" if Xion remembered correctly. But more importantly, her baby had just summoned her Keyblade for the first time! Two Keyblades, in fact! Just like Roxas! She knew her baby would one day wield a Keyblade, but two? Xion didn't see that coming at all.

"H-how... how did I do that?" Kokoro wondered quietly, taking in the sight of her new Keyblades as she held them in front of herself.

Kokoro dismissed her Oathkeeper before Xion gave her arm a hug, "Oh, Kokoro... I can't believe this day has finally come!" Xion exclaimed, holding her daughter's arm even more tightly, as Roxas went on about how amazing this all was and how proud of her he was, although it was a little hard to understand him with how fast and excitedly he was talking. "And you have two Keyblades too, just like your father! Oh, I never even considered that possibility..."

"Actually, I'm not sure where my other one went," Kokoro said, "It just sort of went away on its own. But then again, I'm not even sure how I made them appear in the first place... This is a lot to take in..." She swung her Keyblade around lightly as she stared into it, a bit of a mystified expression on her face.

Roxas put a hand on her shoulder, "It's alright, sweetheart. I promise we'll be there to help you get used to all of this. If you want, me and your mother will be more than willing to show you how to use your Keyblades." he offered, having calmed down some.

She smiled and took her eyes off her Keyblade to look up at Roxas, "Thank you, daddy," Kokoro said, "But I still don't understand what the deal with my other Keyblade is. Why'd it just go away like that?"

Roxas gave a little shrug, "Maybe you just haven't gotten the hang of dual wielding yet? I'm not sure, but we'll figure it out together." he assured her, "Besides, I think it's awesome that you can summon two Keyblades in the first place! I mean, besides you now, I'm the only person who can really do that."

"Looks like you got that ability from your father, sweetie," Xion said softly before giving her daughter a big hug, "You have two Keyblades... that's so special... such a special ability for such a special little girl." She gave Kokoro a kiss on the cheek, likely not making her blush any less.

Kokoro dismissed her other Keyblade as Roxas bent down and joined in hugging her, sandwiching her between the two of them as they showed their affection for her together.

"Happy birthday, Kokoro." Xion whispered into her daughter's ear.

\--------------

The leaves crunched under her boots as Xion walked through the woods of Twilight Town hand in hand with her husband, the wintry air drawing them closer together for warmth.

"You know, Roxas," Xion started, "It's kind of weird to think about how I've been a Keyblade Master for almost fifteen years now, but I'm just now training a student of my own." she ducked her head under a low-hanging branch, "But even weirder is that student being our own daughter..."

"I don't think it's that weird," Roxas commented, "I've never really seen being a Master as being about being a teacher to pupils. It's more about embracing the responsibility that comes with your Keyblade and using it to help and protect others and maintain stability, right?

"Oh, absolutely," Xion replied, "I've never forgotten that, it's the whole reason I became a master and have devoted myself to the duties that come with it ever since. I just always figured finding a pupil to teach was something that Masters did at some point."

"Well, you've got a pupil now, plus lots of future pupils, don't you? Though, I guess that's more of a mom thing than a Master thing." Roxas said.

Xion gave a light giggle, "Hehe, yeah, I guess I meant more about bequeathing someone and teaching them how to use a Keyblade." she said, "But there was never anyone I felt the need to bequeath. If they're having happy, relatively normal lives, why would I want to change that?" Xion shuffled a little closer to Roxas, "I just never wanted any of our friends to go through what we had to because of the Keyblade."

"But now that our daughter has a Keyblade—er, Keyblades, rather, I just hope she'll still be able to keep living that happy, normal life just as she's always had," Roxas said as he held her hand tighter, "That's all I've ever really wanted."

Xion smiled gently, "She will, Roxas. We'll always make sure of that," she reassured him, "Keeping our children safe, Keyblade or not, is just our responsibility as parents. As long as we teach and protect her properly, we'll never let her get hurt."

"Yeah... That makes me feel better," Roxas said, "I guess I've just been thinking about the day she'd summon it for the first time in an abstract sense for so long, that now that the day has actually come for real, I've kind of been having a hard time figuring out what to think of all this..." He smiled as he looked down at her, "But you've really helped me get used to everything since then. So thank you, Xion."

"That's good to hear," Xion softly said, "I'm really glad I can relieve some of your worries like that." It made her feel content knowing she could comfort Roxas like that. After all the hardship they'd been through together, there was no one better than each other to seek reassurance from when something was worrying or stressing them. All the years spent married to each other only strengthened the emotional bond they had forged, and it made Xion more and more grateful to have a family with Roxas after all they'd experienced.

They reached their destination as Xion reached the wooden gate that now separated the old mansion from the woods. Xion wasn't sure when exactly it had been built, but she couldn't complain about the increased privacy it gave, which was useful for what they had planned. The gate's door was locked, but that was no problem for her Keyblade, and with a simple tap it was wide open for them to pass through, despite the big red "No Trespassing" sign that was featured on it. Not that there was anyone or anything here to disturb anyways.

Xion walked over to one of the outer walls of the mansion and sat down with Roxas as they waited for their daughter to arrive as they had instructed her to do after school. She felt comfortable cuddled up with Roxas as he rested an arm around her back, and all the while she clung to his arm and admired how lovely he looked that day. They shared a few kisses, which made Xion feel warm and content.

After a while, she heard her voice, "Mommy, daddy!" she called out as she ran up to them.

Xion got up and gave her a hug, "Hi, sweetie," she greeted her before pulling back slightly to look her in the eyes, "Ready to start your training?"

"Yup!" Kokoro replied, "I've been looking forward to this all week!" She had a big smile on her face, clearly filled with more excitement than nervousness.

Roxas stood up, "Could you summon your Keyblade?" he asked, "Just to make sure you've gotten the hang of it."

"Sure!" She held out her hand and, in a flash of light, materialized her Two Become One before holding it to her side. Xion smiled seeing that she had gotten the hang of summoning her Keyblade.

Roxas smiled, "Very good!" he commented, "What about your other Keyblade? Can you summon that one for us?" The two of them had been trying to get her to summon her second Keyblade again since the first time she had briefly wielded it, but despite Roxas's efforts little progress had been had. Xion would've liked to help, but there wasn't much she could help with seeing as she only ever had experience with wielding her one Kingdom Key.

"Um..." Kokoro looked a little unsure, but held out her other hand regardless, "I can try..." She closed her eyes and concentrated real hard as faint sparks of light briefly glowed from her fingertips, but nothing more came from her efforts. She sighed, "I'm sorry, I really tried, but I just can't do it. I wish I knew how I made it appear in the first place..."

Xion put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes, "It's okay, you really don't need to apologize," she assured her, "I don't have two Keyblades like your father, so I can't help with making your other one appear, but I know you hold two keys in your heart. I can feel it." Xion moved her hand over to her daughter's heart, "I know you'll get the hang of it eventually as long as you have patience. I don't want you to get hurt by rushing things."

"Yeah, don't worry about it!" Roxas added, "I know you can do it, just take things easy and we'll get there together."

A smile appeared on Kokoro's face, "That makes me feel better. Thank you." she said politely, "So, what are we gonna start with? There's a lot I still have to learn about this thing."

"How about we start with some defensive tactics?" Xion suggested, "Safety first, right?" Naturally, she wouldn't want her precious baby girl getting hurt because she failed to prepare her properly.

Kokoro nodded and Xion started by showing her how to position her arm for a proper guarding stance. Next she taught her how to perform a dodge roll, or, rather, had Roxas demonstrate for her; his body was more built for that kind of thing than hers. Xion watched as she repeated Roxas's example flawlessly, likely helped by the somersaults and similar gymnastics she did in her gym class.

"You're doing good so far!" Xion exclaimed, "Next I'm going to have you try out a simple reprisal. I'm going to summon a light projection on the count of three, and when I do I want you to guard it before countering it with a swing of your Keyblade, alright? Like this," Xion swung her Keyblade outwards to demonstrate, "Simple! Oh, and don't worry, the projection can't hurt you. It might knock you over though, so be ready!"

"Three... two... one!" Upon finishing counting down, a light clone emerged from Xion, similar in appearance to herself, which quickly dashed towards Kokoro with its light replica of a Keyblade. Right as it swung downwards at her, she was able to pull up her guard and blocked the incoming attack. Her arms wobbled as she held the Two Become One against the clone, struggling to keep its Keyblade from breaking past hers. Just as it was about to overpower her, she pushed against it and swung her Keyblade outward to the right, throwing its light Keyblade to the side, upon which it fell to the ground and faded away.

Kokoro took a moment to catch her breath, "I... I did it!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, that was wonderful!" Xion exclaimed, "You're a quick learner, you know that? Honestly, I didn't expect you to get that on the first try."

She giggled, "To be fair, I almost got knocked over, but I remembered the way you showed me how to counter," she said, "I think you're just a good teacher, mommy!"

Roxas lightly held her hand, brushing his fingers against hers, "She's not wrong, you know." he remarked.

Xion blushed a little, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Yeah, well, you're also a good example for her, Roxas," she told him, "I think you deserve some credit too."

"Oh, definitely. It's about time someone said that." he joked with a goofy grin on his face.

A giggle escaped Xion, "Well, anyways, how about we get you started on some magic usage?" she offered to her daughter.

"Ooh! Yay!" Kokoro cheered, "I've always wanted to be able to use magic like you and daddy!" Come to think of it, she would always get excited whenever she and Roxas would use their magic for something, and even more excited when they'd promise to teach her one day. Xion supposed her excited reaction was natural now that the day had finally come.

"Okay, how about we start with some basic Reflect magic?" Xion suggested. That was a perfectly safe choice; it was basically impossible for her to get hurt or accidentally catch something on fire using Reflect magic. "You should be able to get the hang of it pretty easily. All you need to do is visualize whatever is threatening you, and then imagine it bouncing right off you. Do that, and it should work!"

Xion instructed her to get behind Roxas and wait for her to count down to three, upon which she cast Fire magic, which would be blocked by a Reflect. If she couldn't cast it in time, then Roxas would block it with his Keyblades. On a count of three she sent the fireball their way—things went half according to plan. Kokoro did indeed cast Reflect magic, but only after Roxas had deflected the Fire with his Keyblades.

"Oops, I, uh... messed that one up, didn't I?" Kokoro said a little shyly.

"It's alright. We'll work on your timing," Xion said, "The important part is you were able to cast the magic successfully, and that's all that really matters." Her expression lightened up at that.

"Yeah! You're right, it's really not a big deal. Just the fact that I can cast magic now is amazing!" she exclaimed, "So, what next?"

Xion thought for a second before thinking of something, "Well, I was thinking maybe we could—"

"Wait, Xion," Roxas interrupted her, "I was just thinking about something. You know that one time, really really long ago, when you couldn't summon your Keyblade, but I let you borrow mine and then you were able to use yours again?" Oh yeah, she did remember that. She usually subconsciously buried most of her memories from her time in the Organization, but she remembered how happy she was in that moment. Come to think of it, that was around the time she started really falling in love with Roxas... Not that she really knew what love was back then, or what it would feel like. 

"Xion? Xion!"

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Roxas's voice, "Oh, sorry, I was just... thinking. You can go on." she said.

"Anyways, I was thinking... Maybe the same thing I did back then could work again?" Roxas suggested. "If I give her one of my Keyblades, then maybe she'll be able to summon her other one?"

Huh. That was a good idea, actually. "If you think it'll work, then I think there's no problem in giving it a try." Xion commented.

Roxas walked over to their daughter and gave her his Oathkeeper; using the same Keyblade she had summoned before was probably a good idea, Xion figured. She let him borrow her Keyblade so he could demonstrate some dual-wielding techniques, and after he was finished showing off he gave her the Kingdom Key back.

"I'm going to summon some light projections for you to fight off, okay?" Xion told her daughter, "Be sure to use what your father taught you. On three! Three... two... one!" 

As before, Xion created light clones that emerged from herself, dashing at Kokoro from two directions, who was quick to block each of them, followed by countering by slashing her Keyblades around herself, effectively taking out the two clones as they faded away. She sent another two at her, which she successfully repelled by jumping up and striking the one coming from above with her Two Become One, then turning on her heel to spin around and send the Oathkeeper through the one coming at her from the bottom.

Lastly, Xion sent four light clones from herself to attack from all directions, which Kokoro repelled with the use of Reflect Magic, then dispatched them all at once with the barrier's counter. Seeing her daughter handling not just one, but two Keyblades with such skill already made Xion so, so proud. She still had a long way to go in her training, but seeing her already getting the hang of the basics made Xion feel like she was doing a truly good job of being a teacher.

Xion walked over to her daughter, who was catching her breath with her hands on her knees. "You did a really great job, sweetie. I'm really proud of how much you've learned already." Xion calmly told her before bending over slightly to give her a kiss on the cheek. Kokoro smiled at that.

"Your mother's right, you were really great there." Roxas said as he dismissed his Oathkeeper to take her hand, "I think we'll call it now before you get too exhausted. Besides, you've really earned something nice after all that. How does some sea-salt ice cream sound as icing on the cake on the way back home?"

"Yummy!" Kokoro replied. It was still Winter, but for Xion and her family, there was no time of the year a nice cold sea-salt ice cream bar couldn't be enjoyed.

"And I'll be sure to make an extra special dinner tonight." Xion added, thinking of her daughter's favorite foods.

"But before we head home, there's one more thing I want to see," Roxas said, "Kokoro, do you think you could you summon your other Keyblade for us?"

Kokoro looked at him a little shyly, "I guess, but... I don't think I can do it yet. I promise I'll be able to one day, but—"

Roxas put a hand on her shoulder, "It's alright, sweetheart. I just want you to try one more time." he told her.

"Okay..." Kokoro held out her hand and closed her eyes, looking to the side nervously. Light faintly glowed from her fingertips, shining from her fingertips to her palm, when suddenly, in a flash of light her second Keyblade appeared. Her eyes shot open to see her holding her Oathkeeper right in front of herself.

Xion gasped and took a moment to process what had just happened, but when it set in, she couldn't help but tackle her daughter in a hug. "Oh, Kokoro, you did it! You really did it!" Xion exclaimed as Roxas joined in hugging her as they had done the week before.

"I- I did?! I mean... I did!" Kokoro said, taken by surprise herself. The only person who didn't seem surprised was Roxas.

"I knew you could do it," Roxas said calmly with a satisfied tone in his voice, "I told you we'd get there together, and we did." Xion smiled brightly. Oh Roxas, always such a wonderful and loving father...

Kokoro dismissed her Oathkeeper, not that Xion noticed while showering her daughter with kisses on the cheek while telling her how much she loved her and how proud she was of her.

"Um, I didn't mean to make my Keyblade go away there," Kokoro pointed out, "I think I can only wield it for a little bit at a time."

Roxas settled his head on her shoulder, "That's alright, we'll learn more about your Keyblades together as time goes on," he assured her, "For now, I'm really happy with how far you're coming already. I love you, sweetheart." Roxas gave her a kiss on the cheek, making her blush even more from all the kisses she was getting from her parents. But as far as Xion was concerned, there could never be enough affection to show for her and Roxas's special little girl.


	5. Ice Cream Store and More!

Laying on the couch inside away from the hot Summer heat, Xion held up the magazine she'd gotten the other day, and given the magazine was focused towards moms she figured she might as well give it a read. A lot of the tips and information in it she had already read from the plethora of other parental reading material she had gone through. Eventually she reached a section titled 'Summer Activities To Do With Your Child!' which caught her interest, and as she read through the examples listed provided some inspiration for ways she could spend the day with her daughter.

She could take her to the beach, which was always a fun time, but Xion went to the beach with Roxas and her children so often that she could use something else for a change. Not that the beach ever got old. There was also taking her to an amusement park or setting up a backyard swimming pool, but Xion was mostly interested at the idea of making a lemonade stand. Giving out cold lemonade on a hot Summer day sounded like fun, and would be a way to introduce her daughter to the idea of doing chores and tasks in exchange for munny.

But as she thought a little more about it, Xion realized that while there was nothing wrong with an ice cold lemonade to help beat the heat, there was an even nicer, colder treat that she could hand out, a treat that never ever got old no matter how much she had it, by which she meant ice cream, of course! All she'd need to do is replace the idea of handing out lemonade with handing out ice cream and she had a great way to spend the day with her daughter, and Roxas too if he was interested.

Getting off the couch, Xion made her way over to the door to the backdoor and slid it open to see Roxas and Kokoro playing together, with Kokoro holding a struggle bat in one hand while riding on Roxas's back.

"Quick, move over that way, Daddy!" Xion heard Kokoro say after she hit the Grandstander ball up over to the right. Just in time, she managed to hit the ball back upwards with her bat.

"That was a good hit! Now get ready for the next one!" Roxas moved over to position her to land another hit in on the ball as it fell back down. Once again, she struck the Grandstander ball just in time, sending it flying in front of them. Roxas ran over and tried reaching it with his bat, but was just a little too late and the ball hit the ground before he could reach it.

"Aw man!" Kokoro said as she dismounted from her father's back before running over to the ball to pick it up. "How did I do, Daddy? I wasn't keeping track of the score..."

"You hit the ball twenty-one times before it fell to the ground, so in other words... A new record!" Roxas exclaimed before picking her up and holding her up to where her face was level with his, "You did really, really good. I'm impressed with how good you're getting at this, sweetheart." He gave her a kiss on her little cheek, making her blush a little.

"Aww, I only got it because I got to ride up on your back!" Kokoro said bashfully. "I'm going to try extra hard to get a new high score on my own!"

Roxas set her back down on the ground, "I know you'll be able to, and it'll be great watching you get there." He smiled and bent down to meet his face with hers, "In fact, I think you might just get it the next time you play!" He moved his hand to the top of her head and ruffled her hair all up, making her giggle.

Amidst her giggling, Kokoro turned her head to where Xion was standing at the back door. "Oh, hi Mommy!" she exclaimed, "Did you see me and Daddy playing Grandstander?"

Xion walked over to her, "I did! You two make a great team." Seeing them having so much fun together made Xion consider playing sports with her daughter more often, though that was more of Roxas's thing. Not that she didn't have her own ways to spend time with her; reading to her and bringing her to do new things around town always made for a good time.

"Hey, Xion!" Roxas said as he walked over to her, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, "Want to join us for a few rounds? I bet Kokoro would like to show you her new Grandstander skills."

"Oh, no, it's fine!" Kokoro said as she set down her struggle bat, "I'm getting a little hot out here anyways, and my arm is starting to get a little tired too." Come to think of it, that bat was probably a little heavy for her given how tiny she was. They should really make a smaller version for little kids, Xion thought. Maybe she'd talk to Roxas about that...

"But also, I want to practice more first so that Mommy can watch me getting a new record!"

Xion bent down to have their faces level with each other, "That sounds nice. Could I watch you practice?" she asked.

Kokoro held her hands behind her back, "Thanks, but I want to surprise you with what I've learned!" she exclaimed, "Then you'll be happy with me when I get a new record for you, right?"

Not being able to contain her smile, Xion gently took Kokoro's soft little hand, "Oh, Kokoro, I'd be happy to just watch you play no matter what kind of score you get." she said gently. She could watch her little girl just having fun and enjoying herself for hours and hours and never get tired... "But if you want to surprise me, I'd be fine with that too."

A satisfied look was present on Kokoro's face, "Yeah! I'll try extra hard just for you, Mommy!" she exclaimed, "Anyways, I'm gonna go inside now. It's hot out here!" Kokoro did look like she could cool down a bit, as Xion could see a little sweat on her face. Plus her hair was a bit messy from the humidity, making some strands of her hair stick out.

Getting up and following her daughter inside and into the kitchen, Xion poured a glass of lemonade and put together a sandwich for her to enjoy as she sat up on the counter.

"Hey Mommy, can we watch a movie later?" Kokoro asked as she snacked on her sandwich.

"Actually, I was thinking of something else we could do today," Xion pointed out as she rested against the counter, "Would you be interested in setting up a stand outside and handing out ice cream? You'll get some too, of course." Kokoro's face instantly lit up in excitement.

"Ooh! That sounds like fun!" Kokoro exclaimed, lightly swinging her feet from where she sat on the counter, "When are we gonna do that?"

It suddenly occurred to Xion that she never looked into _how_ to set up a stand like the one she read about. "Oh, uh, I still have to work on getting the stand set up, but it should only be a while, I think..." she said, not entirely confidently. How long did these things even take?

"I could help set it up," Roxas offered as he walked into the kitchen, "Do you know what we're going to need?"

Xion put a finger on her lips as she thought about it, "Well... I know we need a table for the stand, some stuff for the ice cream obviously, maybe a jar or something to keep the munny in?" Xion suggested, "Oh, and some paint to advertise the ice cream on our stand. Anything else?"

"I think that should be enough," Roxas said, "I can help move the table. Where are we bringing it to?"

"How does the Central Station sound? I think we have to get permission to set up outside, but that shouldn't take long." Xion offered, seeing as right in front of the clock tower seemed as good a place as any to give out ice cream.

Roxas nodded, "That sounds good. I won't be able to sit at the stand with you two since I have to get around to that shopping today, but I'll at least be able to help get everything ready."

She smiled at him, "Thanks, Roxas. I think this idea will be a lot of fun," she turned her head to the counter, "Isn't that right, Kokoro?"

"Uh-huh!" Kokoro replied with a nod as Xion started wrapping her arms around her to start picking her up. "Wait, Mommy, can I get a couple things before we go?"

"Of course," Xion told her as she started looking around in the cabinets. "Now, Roxas, how about we get started?"

\--------------

Eventually, she and Roxas managed to talk the Moogle inside the station into agreeing to let them set up their ice cream stand outside, albeit for a fee. It wasn't cheap, and frankly she probably wouldn't be getting her munny back on that investment, but Xion really didn't care about the munny—all that really mattered was getting to spend the day having a fun time with her baby. Besides, Xion would make sure that any of the munny they made at the stand was Kokoro's to spend however she liked.

After finishing setting up their table and chairs, as well as the supplies they'd be using during their time together, they were all ready to start selling some ice cream.

"Looks like everything's ready," Roxas said with a smile, "Guess I'll be letting you two get to having some quality time together. Be sure to save some ice cream for me when I get back, alright?"

"We will!" Kokoro exclaimed as she sat atop the stand.

Xion walked up to her husband, "Thank you for helping out, Roxas," she said before gently pressing her lips against his cheek, "We'll see you later, okay?" Roxas nodded and Xion gave him a hug. "I love you." she said softly.

"I love you too, Xion." Roxas told her as he returned her hug. Pulling back, he gave the two of them a wave before walking off to do his errands for the day.

Going from the front of the stand to the chair behind, Xion looked up at the clock tower and saw where she, Roxas, and Axel had gone through countless bars of ice cream as they laughed over stupid stuff and brought up whatever was on their mind for hours on end, and would no doubt share countless more. It felt nice being able to give back to the community of the place she had called home ever since she started her new life with the two people closest to her.

After a bit, Kokoro looked over to her, "Hey Mommy, when are the people gonna start coming to buy our ice cream?" she asked.

"Oh, they'll be here soon, sweetie." Xion assured her, "We'll just have to be a little patient." She thought for a little bit until something came to mind, "Hey, to pass the time, want to hear about some goofy stuff your father did when he was younger?" Kokoro nodded eagerly, and Xion smirked. "Okay, so..."

Xion recounted some memories of her and Roxas, the ones that made her snicker just thinking about them; the time Roxas laughed so hard that he dropped his ice cream on his lap before it slid off the clock tower, the time he went to Halloween Town and ended up wearing an Easter Bunny costume, all the times he'd dance with her only to fall right on top of her... Ah, she could always count on Roxas to make her laugh. And make Kokoro laugh too, given how much she was cracking up hearing recollections of some of Roxas's sillier moments.

While sharing her stories and lots of laughter with her little girl, Xion noticed a woman about her age walking towards the stand with what looked to be her son. Interrupting her story, Xion put a hand on Kokoro's, "Oh, looks like someone's coming over!" she exclaimed, "Be sure to say 'hi', and don't be shy, okay?"

"Okay!" Kokoro replied, sitting eagerly until the lady got close enough, "Hi, Missus! Are you interested in some ice cream?" she asked politely.

"Oh, aren't you just the cutest thing!" The lady said, making Kokoro giggle. "I'll have one for myself and one for my little boy." She handed them 30 munny which Xion deposited into the jar she had on the table before producing two sea-salt ice cream bars that she handed to Kokoro, who in turn handed to the woman before thanking her. Her daughter's politeness made Xion smile.

"You know, this is a really charming stand you two have got here," the lady said, looking at Xion, "I think I could try something like this one day with my son." It made Xion happy knowing she could give another mom inspiration for ways to bond with her child, just like how she was bonding with hers. "Oh, and before I forget, here's a little something!" She reached into her purse and deposited an extra 10 munny into the jar. "You two have a good day." she said with a smile before walking off while holding her son's hand.

Kokoro looked happy, but also a little confused as she turned to Xion, "Hey Mommy, why did that lady give us that extra munny? She wasn't buying any more ice cream." she commented, "She might have done it by accident. Do you think we should go find her and give her the munny back?"

Xion found that a bit amusing, "Oh, that wasn't an accident! Sometimes when people think you're doing a good job at something they'll give you extra munny to show it, which is called a 'tip'." Xion explained, "She gave you a tip because she thought you were helpful and friendly. Which you were!"

"Wow, I didn't know that!" Kokoro exclaimed, a satisfied look on her face having learned something new. Xion felt satisfied as well, as getting to teach her baby girl new things felt absolutely wonderful. In fact, that sounded like the exact sort of question she'd have asked Axel when she was younger—or maybe she did ask that at some point. He'd always call her and Roxas "clueless zombies" whenever they didn't know some bit of common knowledge like that, but Xion didn't think Kokoro was clueless at all, in fact she would always be impressed by how smart of a little girl she was, and how quick she was to learn.

"And since you've been such a good girl, how about we treat you to some ice cream of your own?" Xion offered as she smiled at her.

"Yay!" Kokoro exclaimed before Xion got an ice cream bar for her, which Kokoro took and took some frosting sprinkles from a jar she brought along and decorated the ice cream bar with them. She took a bite out of the ice cream, looking very satisfied as she chewed on it. "Yummy!" Adding frosting to her ice cream was something Xion never really considered until her daughter came into her life, but even something as little as her having her own preferences for what to eat her ice cream with made her that much more precious.

Looking over, Xion could see some more people walking towards the stand. She looked to her, "Looks like we've got more ice cream to hand out." she told Kokoro, who got an excited look in her bright blue eyes—Roxas's eyes. Xion was truly happy to be spending this time with her little light, and watching as she brightened the day of everyone around her.

\--------------

It had been a while later when Xion realized how much ice cream they had given out—in fact, they were almost out. It was probably getting around to the time where they'd be wrapping up, but she and Kokoro had a really good time together. The munny jar was all filled up too, as they had received their fair share of tips. The kindness of the local community warmed her heart.

A bit later, her face brightened as she saw Roxas approaching the stand.

"Daddy!" Kokoro exclaimed as she got off from the stand and ran up to jump into Roxas's arms, with Xion not far behind her.

Roxas received her in his arms and held her up to his chest, "Hi sweetheart, did you and your mother have a good time together?"

"Yeah! We got to hand out lots and lots of ice cream, and we even got to eat some too!" Kokoro exclaimed as she held onto Roxas, who gently stroked her long, smooth black hair.

"Mhm, we had a really good time together," Xion said, "But I'm happy to get back to spending time with you, Roxas." She put an arm around his back and brought herself closer to him before kissing his cheek, pulling back to see him smiling even more brightly. Roxas always had a wonderful, amazing, beautiful smile.

"I'm happy to be with you again too, Xion." Roxas said before giving her a kiss on the cheek of his own. Kokoro probably wasn't appreciating the two of them being so openly lovey-dovey in front of her, but they never were good at hiding their feelings. Especially not Roxas. "Not that I was away for that long anyways, but, well... Hey, how does heading back and making some dinner sound right about now?"

"Wait, Daddy, before we go home, there's somewhere I wanna go first." Kokoro said, "You know that shop with the small fluffy guy? I wanna go there and buy something with the munny me and Mommy made today!"

"That's a moogle, sweetie," Xion reminded her, "And I think we could do that. Right, Roxas?" He nodded with a smile. The stand was still there, but she planned to let it stay up for another few days, especially with how much fun they had today.

"But what's the moogle's name? I wanna know so I can greet him by his name!" Kokoro responded.

Roxas shrugged. "I dunno, I asked him about that once and he simply said his name was of no importance, so I left it at that. You can just call him 'Mr. Moogle' if you want."

"Okay!" Kokoro said with a little giggle.

On the way back home, they stopped at the moogle's shop to let Kokoro look around. Xion gave her the munny jar and, after a while, something caught her interest: a small, simple staff with a blue handle and a yellow star as its tip. "Mr. Moogle, I would like to buy that magic stick, please!"

That got Xion's attention—what would her tiny baby girl want a staff, or any kind of weapon for? She didn't even know how to use magic. "Sweetie, are you sure you want to get that staff? I don't want you to get hurt with it."

"It's okay Mommy, I promise I'll be careful with it!" Kokoro tried convincing her, "I'm gonna use it to practice getting used to swinging stuff around like you and Daddy do, and then I'm gonna learn how to do magic with it so I can go with you on adventures!"

"All of my wares are guaranteed safe, kupo." The moogle commented. It was pretty apparent to Xion that the moogle was just saying that so they'd be more willing to buy the staff for her, but...

Roxas put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Xion. If she's following her dreams, we shouldn't hold her back from that." Roxas whispered to her, "As long as we look after her, it'll be alright. Besides, without magic, it's not like she'll break anything with the staff, right?"

That was fair, but there was something about it Xion didn't entirely agree with. Maybe it was just her getting too worried that her baby might get hurt somehow. Or the idea of her growing up and going on missions where she could be put in danger, and potentially getting hurt, or... Well, that wouldn't be for a long time from now. Still, what Xion wouldn't do for her baby girl to stay happy and innocent and safe and carefree for as long as possible... That's just something she and Roxas would work towards together as parents.

"Okay Kokoro, I trust that you'll be safe with it." Xion told her.

"Hooray!" Kokoro cheered before giving the moogle all the munny in the jar, just enough to get her the small little staff. She held it and gave it a little swing, seeming pretty comfortable with it. One day, far from now, she might even get to cast magic through it.

Until then, she'd be with her daughter all the way in whatever she dreamed about. That was just her responsibility as a mother, after all.


	6. 7 Days Over Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas and Xion spend an average week together as a married couple.

The day came to a close as the married couple slid into bed together as they thought back to the week they'd spent together. It had been a pretty normal week with nothing especially special occurring, but normal was just the way they liked things. Though tired, they stayed up just a little longer to enjoy just a bit more time in each others presence, embracing as they silently appreciated just another of the little moments they valued so much, another to add to the list from the last seven days.

-

On Monday after breakfast, Roxas gave Xion a loving kiss before she headed off to work for the day. Once they reluctantly pulled out of each others embrace, he admired the beauty of her eyes for just a little longer as the tips of her fingers slowly slipped from his before she turned to the front door, opening it and looking back to give him a comforting wave and smile from the doorway. He returned her gesture and watched as she walked out and closed the door behind her, leaving the house to just him and his little six-year-old daughter.

Since there was still half an hour until she had to go to school, he walked over to the couch and sat down next to her to idly watch some cartoons together to pass the time. Not that he was paying much attention—it was another one of the little girl shows she liked that he couldn't get into, but him just being there with her seemed to make her happy. Plus it encouraged her to make commentary about the show, and he liked seeing her get excited about things she liked.

Twenty minutes later, he watched her get up from the couch to go put on her shoes and her adorable little backpack, and after getting on his own shoes he walked out the front door with her. Roxas held her hand and walked her up to the central station to board the tram to school with her, feeling the cool fall air all the way there. He didn't have to go on the tram with her to school, but it meant spending that much more time with his daughter; time that he would never take for granted.

On the tram she sat on his lap and talked to him about her favorite things to do at school. Just the sound of her cute, happy little voice filled his heart with warmth.

When the tram stopped and they walked out together, he bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead that elicited a soft giggle out of her.

"Have a good day at school, okay, sweetheart? I love you." Roxas told her as he looked into her eyes, almost looking like a reflection with how identical they looked to his own.

"I will! I love you too, Daddy!" Kokoro exclaimed, offering him a hug which he returned gently with a pat on the back. Roxas got back up and watched as she skipped over to the front doors of the school, not forgetting to turn and give him a wave before she went through the doors.

Boarding the tram back home, Roxas already missed his wife and daughter, but knowing that they'd be back home later in the day gave him something to look forward to. His thoughts turned to what he'd do until then, perhaps he could record some music or watch one of the R-rated movies that he could never put on around the little one. Besides, it's not like he was alone. As long as his family was in his heart, they'd always be by his side no matter where they were.

\--

On Tuesday morning, Xion sat tiredly on the couch, the urge to fall back asleep tempting her but remaining out of reason for as long as the minutes were counting down until she had to go to work. When she returned home, she planned to do nothing but snuggle and cuddle with her husband for the rest of the day before drifting back asleep in his arms, or at least, that's what seemed most desirable in the moment. Roxas likely had things to do besides laying in bed with her all day anyways, though knowing him he probably wouldn't object to the idea either.

A noise was heard coming from the stairs, and looking over she saw her daughter walking down into the room from upstairs. She was wearing her pink pajamas and her hair was really messy, and from the look of things she wasn't any more than half-awake.

"Good morning, Kokoro," Xion greeted her, "I didn't think you'd be up so early. Do you want some breakfast?"

A yawn escaped Kokoro as she slowly walked up to her, "Hi, Mommy..." she said drowsily with her eyes half closed, "Yeah, that would be nice..." Her voice was noticeably raspy, and on closer inspection she didn't look too good either.

The concern was visible on Xion's face, "Are you feeling okay, sweetie? You don't look like you're doing so good."

Kokoro tried to claim that she was fine, but the tone in her voice, along with everything else about her in that moment clearly contradicted her. She figured that she was just saying that because she didn't want to worry her, which was sweet of her, but Xion had to do something to make her feel better.

She picked her up and placed her on her lap before gently placing a hand on her forehead, immediately noticing it was warmer than usual. To confirm her suspicions Xion got a thermometer for Kokoro to place under her tongue and, as expected, the reading came up as a clear fever.

Xion sighed and informed her that she was sick, something Kokoro clearly already knew but was not happy to have confirmed judging by the look on her face.

Roxas walked into the room over to the two of them, having finished up his early morning shower. When he was told of their daughter's sickness, he quickly shared in Xion's worry. He asked Xion to carry her back to her room while he would make some orange juice and chicken noodle soup for her, to which she replied with a nod before bringing her up to her room.

As she gently placed Kokoro in her bed and pulled her blanket over her, it was hard for Xion to look at the sad expression on her face.

"Mommy, I'm not that sick—" Kokoro said before being interrupted by a cough, "I can still go to school, really..."

Not in her current condition she couldn't, Xion knew that for sure. "I understand you want to go to school today, but you really need the rest. You look like you barely have enough energy to walk properly." Kokoro looked as if she was about to say something in response when Xion gently put her hand on her cheek, "I don't want you to try to push yourself too hard, that would just make you feel worse. Believe me, I really just want you to feel better more than anything right now."

Kokoro looked a little more content with that. Xion gave her a smile as she gently caressed her cheek, her motherly instinct wanting nothing more than for her to spend the rest of the day caring for and comforting her little girl until she was back to her normal happy, energetic little self. Unfortunately, she did have work, but she'd make the most of the time until then doing everything she could for her daughter.

A minute later Roxas came into the room with the orange juice and soup and sat near Xion at the side of their daughter's bed. To help comfort her, Xion grabbed a storybook and read it to her while sitting on the edge of her bed while Roxas gave her sips of the orange juice and feeding her the soup with the spoon, occasionally saying "Here comes the Gummi Ship!" as he brought the spoon to her mouth just like he would when feeding her as a baby.

After she finished reading to her, Xion got off the bed and gave her a kiss on the cheek, realizing she didn't have much more time before work. It was alright though; Xion knew that with Roxas there for her, little Kokoro would be feeling better in no time.

\---

On Wednesday afternoon, Roxas was out in the backyard playing with his daughter. Along with the chasing and the sports they'd play and the carrying her on his back, one of Roxas's favorite activities was simply playing games with her using their imagination. 

Having an active imagination was one of those things Roxas missed out on in his early life, never having much to imagine or think about beyond whatever mission or Keyblade responsibility he had next. Really that's all there was to his life back then, just duties to serve and the occasional time spent having ice cream with his friends as a brief reprieve from said duties. And he had experienced and seen so little of what was out there that it was hard for him to have anything to imagine outside his own very limited scope of the world.

The only thing he'd ever imagined or dreamed of was being able to be together forever with his two best friends with nothing to separate them, and, well, it was safe to say that his dream had come true. Just his daughter's happy little existence was proof of that much.

Luckily, his daughter had a lot more fun scenarios to imagine than that. For example, today they were playing pirates! She always got a lot of inspiration from the stories Roxas would tell her of his adventures with Xion and Axel, and it seems today she was inspired by what he told her of his exploits in Neverland, or perhaps The Caribbean. Either way, he was happy that she thought pirate stuff was cool just like he did. 

Kokoro was playing the part of the great pirate captain, and Roxas was the guardian of the ancient treasure. Said treasure was really just a big pile of leaves that Roxas had raked earlier, but using their imagination it could be anything they wanted! And Xion might have been playing the part of Kokoro's trusty first mate, but she was inside making dinner, which was really a great treasure itself.

Dual-wielding his struggle bats as Kokoro ran at him with her toy sword, Roxas blocked her attempts to get past him to the treasure. She tried swinging her toy sword at him, but each time he blocked it with his bats.

"Arrr! Surrender your booty, landlubber!" Kokoro shouted, trying to sound threatening and pirate-like, which only made her even more adorable.

Roxas refused to give up the treasure and continued blocking each strike she tried throwing at him with her toy sword. She switched to trying to run around him to get to the leaf pile, but he was much too quick for that to work as he moved to block her way in.

Eventually she gave up her other tactics and walked away from the leaf pile. Roxas figured she might have decided to surrender her efforts, but realized he was mistaken when she turned back around and charged towards him. After she threw her sword to the side it became quite apparent to Roxas what was about to happen and, as he realized, she jumped up and tackled his chest. It wasn't enough to make him lose balance, but he figured it'd be more fun if he pretended like it was, and he fell over backwards onto his butt.

Kokoro fell over with him and landed on his chest as leaves flew around them from the impact onto the pile. Her face was right on top of his, giving him a good view of her bright, sweet, adorable smile.

"Hehe, I got you, Daddy!" Kokoro exclaimed before starting to giggle. She seemed pretty happy about having 'won' their imaginary little game, and seeing the bright expression on her face from the amount of fun she was having made Roxas's heart about as warm as it could be.

He gently hugged her as he raised his back from where it laid in the scattered pile of leaves, "Yeah, I guess you did..." Roxas started to smirk, "Or, consider this, maybe I've got _you!_ " He moved his hands to start tickling her ribs, causing her to burst into a fit of laughter, and he couldn't help but laugh along with her as they goofed around together laying in their backyard.

Suddenly, they paused and interrupted their laughter when they heard a familiar voice a distance away.

Looking over his little girl's shoulder, he saw his wife standing in front of the sliding glass door to the backyard, "Roxas, Kokoro, dinner's ready!" Xion called out, inviting the two of them to come inside.

Turning her head back to Roxas, Kokoro looked at him curiously, "Hey Daddy, after dinner can we go back outside to play some more?"

"Of course we can, sweetheart." Roxas replied, to which she smiled and gave him a hug. He certainly wasn't going to turn that offer; besides just being a fun time, it was also good exercise for her. He never really thought about coming up with ways to play using imaginary scenarios before, but he was happy that his daughter introduced the idea to him. Apparently using imagination and creativity like that was just something children did, yet another thing Roxas missed out on by never being a child himself. But that was alright, after all as a parent he could experience the wonders of childhood secondhand through his own little light. He felt content with that.

After a short and sweet hug, Kokoro pulled back and hopped off his lap to go run into the waiting arms of her mother, who smiled and carried her indoors for dinner.

He got up and followed the two of them inside, eager for something to eat himself. After all, Xion always made the best dinners.

\----

On Thursday evening, Xion sat next to her daughter in her room as they finished up her homework together. It felt nice helping her with things like that, and helping her work out the problems was a nice way to spend time with her. Not that she needed the help with how easy the problems were, plus she was such a smart little girl, but Xion wanted to be involved in her learning process any way she could.

She smiled as she looked at the filled out homework paper with all of the correct answers filled in. Really Xion didn't even need to help with the problem solving process; her daughter did just about everything on her own, explaining her reasoning and process for each problem she solved. Though it was all just simple first grade concepts, Xion still felt so proud of how smart her little girl was for her age and how developed her reasoning skills were becoming.

With a kiss on the cheek and a gentle hug, Xion showed her encouragement for her daughter's job well done. Encouraging her every time she did something right or did a good job on something felt important to Xion, and on a personal level she knew quite well the positive effect that had and how necessary it was.

But there was one more thing she could do for her after such a good job, and that was the classic icing on the cake for any accomplishment; ice cream, of course! She picked her up and carried her from her room into the kitchen where she opened the freezer up to grab a salty-sweet treat for her precious little one, who gladly took it and smiled as she took a couple small bites out of it.

Following her to the couch where Axel and Roxas sat, Xion thought about how to spend the rest of the day. She'd done her work for the day, the chores were all finished up, her six-month old twins were sleeping soundly after the nursing session she gave them, and of course, she had finished helping her daughter with her homework. She could just sit, relax, and watch some television or a movie with her family, which was a perfectly fine option, but after thinking of something a little more involved for them to do together she came up with the idea of getting a board game for them to play.

After a quick trip to the closet, she returned with the game and set it on the floor of the living room, inviting her husband, her self-styled big brother, and her daughter to sit with her around the game board. They each took a piece for their favorite colors; purple for herself, a bright red for Axel, an almost sea-salt shade of blue for Roxas, and a strawberry pink for little Kokoro.

A few turns into the game and Xion was a little further ahead of everyone else than she would've liked, even if the standings were more or less still pretty equal. The next turn she 'accidentally' had her die roll on a 1 after almost landing on 6, and when given the choice between three cards she chose the least beneficial, and as planned she was comfortably back in last place. 

Even though the fun of the game came more from the lighthearted banter and joking around than from the game itself, Xion didn't want anyone to feel frustrated by being stuck in last place. Besides, she liked getting others ahead more than she liked going for first place herself. She never was a very competitive person at all—though she still wouldn't hesitate to kick Roxas and Axel's butts if it came to a round of video games or a sparring session. 

The game went on a while longer as Axel, Roxas, and Kokoro struggled for first place, making cocky remarks when something would go right for them and pretending to despair when things went wrong. It was pretty cute seeing her daughter acting like her father and uncle, and she loved seeing the little influences that Roxas and Axel would have on her.

As the game reached its climax, Kokoro managed to narrowly achieve victory as her piece reached the finishing space, with Roxas and Axel only a couple spaces behind. She cheered upon her victory, with Roxas smiling as he resigned to his defeat and Axel calling shenanigans as he ruffled Kokoro's hair all up, making her giggle.

It was certainly a very fun time, and she would definitely have to have another game with the family again sometime soon.

There was still another couple hours until her daughter's bedtime, and as far as Xion was concerned that was enough time for them to watch a movie together. She picked out the movie to make sure it was appropriate for the whole family, then went to the kitchen and got a couple bowls of warm popcorn ready, plus some extra drinks and snacks for the full movie watching experience.

She relaxed into her seat on the couch as she started up the movie, and with an arm rested around Roxas and Axel, along with her daughter on her lap, she felt as comfortable as ever.

\-----

On Friday evening, Roxas was bringing back his daughter from her soccer game alongside his wife, who had suggested the idea in the first place. Apparently she got the idea from a parenting magazine, and though Xion wasn't much into playing sports herself, he was aware that she loved watching the two of them playing in the backyard of their house, so going to watch their daughter at soccer practice would be something they could both enjoy equally.

And indeed it was; just the happy energetic look on his little girl's face as they walked her home showed that much. She looked so adorable too; she had her long black hair tied into a sporty ponytail, and she was wearing an orange shirt and shorts instead of her usual pink shirt and skirt. Roxas's heart melted from just how gosh darn _cute_ his daughter was—and he could absolutely thank Xion for a lot of what made her the little ball of adorableness that she was, both on the inside and outside.

The game itself was a great time too; Roxas had cheered Kokoro on as enthusiastically as she and Xion would cheer him on in his struggle matches. He wasn't entirely sure if she could hear him over all the noise, but she was doing a great job, plus she'd occasionally look over to where he and Xion sat together in the stands and give them a smile and a wave, so he liked to think she got his encouragement.

Of course, since it was a Friday and she had so much fun at her soccer game and all, it was only reasonable to Roxas that the three of them make a detour on the way back home for some ice cream. After purchasing some ice cream bars from their favorite ice cream shop, the three of them headed to the nearby clock tower to enjoy their frozen desserts together.

Upon reaching the staircase he picked up his little one and carried her to the top of the clock tower. He didn't have to, but he figured she might get worn out climbing all the stairs, or maybe he just liked having an excuse to hold her. Holding his daughter just felt nice to him; she was so small and tiny that he only needed one arm to carry her with, he had a perfect view of her soft, sweet little face, the way she held onto him in return, and the simple closeness of having her held in his arms made it feel like he was protecting her in a way—keeping her safe.

The walk up was short enough; he and his wife had climbed the sets of stairs going up the clock tower so many times that it had long become just like walking anywhere else. Though, part of him did wish someone got around to building a service elevator or something at some point over the years. Then again, it's not like this part of the clock tower was exactly available to the public anyway.

After setting Kokoro down next to the ledge and seating himself next to Xion, he held his daughter's hand as she slowly positioned herself onto the ledge (with some extra help from Xion) before sitting down between the two of them. She had gotten a lot more used to sitting with them on the clock tower since the first time they brought her up; it was quite a few trips before they could get her to muster up the courage to dangle her legs off the ledge. She did just fine now, but he and Xion still wanted to display some extra caution in getting her seated between them.

With the three of them seated together, they had a perfect place to taste the salty-sweetness of their ice cream bars together, just as they always had and always would.

\------

On Saturday afternoon, Xion brought her daughter to the Destiny Islands for her to spend the rest of the day, as well as the night, at her auntie Kairi's house. Roxas came along too, and she had a small smile as he held her hand. His hand felt a little warmer on the islands.

Kokoro was quick to start playing with her friend—Kairi's daughter, and Xion made herself comfortable next to her on the couch as she watched their children running around the living room.

For the next few hours they talked about whatever came to mind, from different worlds they'd visited recently to recipes for dinner to how their children were doing. It felt nice to Xion to catch up with her friends, even if they still saw each other pretty frequently.

Afternoon turned to evening in the islands and Xion figured, though their visit was much enjoyed, it was about time for her and Roxas to be heading home. She bent down and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead after telling her to have fun at her sleepover, and that she loved her, of course. 

Later that evening, Xion was in her and Roxas's room as she changed out of her jeans and shirt and into her favorite purple strapless dress to prepare for the evening she and her husband were going to spend together. She didn't know exactly what Roxas had planned for their date, but that didn't really matter; any time spent with him was already more special than anything she could imagine.

A little time spent in the bathroom to apply just a little of her makeup and she was all ready for a special night out with her special somebody. Walking out the door and into the hall, her heart started started beating faster upon seeing Roxas—maybe it was the cream colored suit he was wearing, or maybe it was something he did with his hair, or it could simply be the loving smile he gave her, but either way he looked _really_ handsome... 

She walked to his side and rested her head on his shoulder with her arm wrapped around his, and together they walked out the house to wherever he had planned for the evening, her heart beating steadily all the while.

Quietly enjoying her husband's presence as she strolled through the town with her arm looped around his, the two eventually ended up at the bistro together. Xion smiled at that—there was something romantic about going out for a fancy dinner, just the two of them. And frankly, there wasn't a better place he could've taken her for that.

The two went inside and were seated at their table across from each other. While they waited for their food, they talked about whatever came to mind, be it admiring how they looked that evening, various interactions they'd had throughout the week, how their friends were doing, and so on. As usual, they'd laugh over silly stuff, Roxas always having a way to make her laugh.

It didn't take long for the food to arrive, and before long she was enjoying a delicious bistro dinner with her husband. Though she had gotten the bistro recipes to make at home as a reward for helping Donald's uncle with the security of his world spanning business (of course, it wasn't free, and she couldn't share it with anyone besides roxas), the quality of the food at the bistro never failed to impress. Perhaps the simple fact that she was sharing it with Roxas made it taste that much better.

As she ate, besides just enjoying some of the finest cuisine in Twilight Town, Xion appreciated the general atmosphere, the comfort of her seat and the aroma of the flower that decorated the table, and the simple enjoyment of being alone with her beloved on their fancy date.

Finishing up her dinner, she felt just as full as she was grateful to Roxas for taking her out for a special little dinner. He paid for the bill—which was no small fee given the size of their meals. She considered teasing Roxas about how much munny he spent just for her, but then she realized he'd probably remind her of all the munny she'd spend going on her little shopping sprees with Olette. Besides, she appreciated his gesture of buying her such a nice dinner.

After such a filling meal, Xion was more than content to return home and lay down with Roxas for some snuggle time, but he seemed to have other plans judging by the direction he was taking her. Down the streets they went until he led her up Sunset Hill, where he reached his hand out to invite her to dance with him. As if she'd say no to that.

Just the two of them set against the eternal sunset, they danced and danced, Xion spinning him around and pulling him closer to her, and Roxas trying to keep up while occasionally losing his balance trying to show off his dance moves, upon which he'd fall right on top of her. Together they laughed completely lost in the moment, and at some point they just ended up falling over on each other repeatedly, giggling and chuckling all the while. Her pretty dress was starting to get dirty, but that couldn't matter less to her, especially not in that moment.

She was helped back up by her husband, who pulled her closer to him. She looked into his beautiful bright blue eyes, and he looked back just as lovingly. She leaned in and kissed him with all the love she could muster, yet somehow he still outdid her with an even more passionate kiss, his hands held against her waist pulling her closer and pressing her up against him. She eventually pulled back from the kiss, if only so that she could get a second to catch her breath.

A few smooches later and the two finally decided it was time to head back home. It was easy to lose track of time in Twilight Town, and as it turns out it was getting well into the night. She held his arm and moved as close to him as she could, walking down the hill as she rested her head against his shoulder. Her heart beat at a steady rate as she felt completely in love with her husband... not that she didn't always feel that way, but he had made the evening so special, and he was just so wonderful and lovely and handsome and funny and comforting to be around that it reminded Xion of how truly lucky she was to have Roxas by her side. 

Judging by the way Roxas held her by his side, and the way he stared lovingly at her, it was safe to say he was feeling just as in love with her in that moment as she was with him. It had been such a lovely day spent together, and she still had much to look forward to. After all, the night had barely started.

\-------

On Sunday night, Roxas and Xion sat at each side of their daughter's bed as they helped her to sleep. The curtain of her room was closed and the only illumination came from the lamp on her bedside table, giving them enough light to read her some picture books before she went to sleep. Xion read the stories in her calm, soothing voice, and Roxas gently stroked his daughter's soft raven hair, which did a good job getting her more relaxed and ready for sleep.

After finishing the story, she set the book to the side and the two of them got off the bed, but before leaving the room they had one last thing to do for her before turning off the lights. Kokoro always loved when they'd sing her lullabies ever since she was just a little baby, and they were both happy to give them to her each night before bed. For Roxas, there was nobody he'd rather sing for—except for his lovely wife, of course.

They knelt on each side of her bed and began calmly singing to her as she smiled and held onto her stuffed doggy and ducky. They each sung a line of their short little lullaby, enjoying each others gentle singing voices as much as the tired yet happy look on their little girl's face.

Roxas sung the first line with a hand on Kokoro's soft little cheek, "Another day you've made everyone's world so bright, and now it's time to say good night to our little light,"

Xion continued with the next line, placing a hand on hers, "And as long as you stay true to who you are, you'll continue shining just like a star,"

"So get comfortable snugged up in your bed and remember what we've always said,"

"No matter if we're close or apart, we'll always be with you there in your heart,"

"And tomorrow you'll make our world just as bright as you did today,"

"Sweet dreams and always remember that we love you so, our little Kokoro." After singing the last line of their lullaby together, Roxas and Xion leaned in and kissed both sides of their daughter's cheeks, getting a tired giggle out of her.

"Good night, sweetie," Xion said with a smile, "We love you."

Kokoro smiled back, "Good night Mommy and Daddy! I love you too!"

Turning off the lamp, Xion turned to Roxas and held an arm around his back. He did the same and together they walked out of their daughter's room, but not before giving her a little wave as they closed the door.

\--------

"It's been a pretty good week hasn't it, Xion?" Roxas pointed out, breaking the silence.

"I was thinking about that myself, actually," Xion responded, "But I mean... this was kind of like every other week we spend together, wasn't it?"

Roxas nodded, "I know, that's why I've enjoyed it so much," he said, "It was quiet, peaceful... normal, and I got to spend it all with the three most important people in my life. That's enough for me."

Xion looked at him for a few seconds before responding, "You're a bit of a sap, you know that, Roxas?"

"Wha- Hey! You say that like you're not one yourself!" Roxas said, giving her shoulder a little shove. They shared a little laugh together.

"Haha, well, I guess more accurately, you're only really ever a sap around me." Xion said, smirking a little, "I'm not complaining, though. That just means you care about me, that's all."

Roxas smiled, "Looks like you're being the sap now, huh?" he teased.

Xion shrugged with a grin on her face, "That's because I care about you too, Roxas." she said before leaning a little closer, "But you knew that already." She closed the distance between their faces and gently pressed her lips against his, giving him a loving albeit slightly tired kiss.

Pulling out of their kiss, the married couple gave each other a 'good night' and an 'I love you' before snuggling against each other and quickly falling asleep, but not before looking forward to starting a new week together.


	7. Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas and Xion await the arrival of their newborn. Roxas dotes on Xion.

Upon reaching the top of the clock tower, Roxas set Xion down next to him before taking a moment to catch his breath. He could even feel his legs wobbling a little—perhaps it wasn't the best idea to carry his wife all the way up the clock tower's set of stairs with all the extra weight she had from being well into her pregnancy. She even told him that she could make the walk up herself, but he couldn't help but dote on her at any chance he got, plus he wanted to lift any burden he could off her for as long as she was pregnant.

He held an arm around her back as they walked their way over to their sitting positions on the ledge, and Roxas even held her hand to help her take her seat. Not that she needed the help just to sit down, but she didn't complain, and besides, doting on Xion had practically become second nature to Roxas during her pregnancy.

With the two of them seated together, Roxas pulled out three sea-salt ice cream bars; one for him and two for Xion—one for her and one for their soon to be born daughter. He then scooted a little closer to his wife and gently rested his hand on top of hers, intertwining their fingers. He moved his head to face her, and she did the same for him, giving him a smile which he gladly returned. She looked out to the quiet town below as she rested her head on his shoulder.

She sighed lovingly, "You know Roxas, for as many times as we've sat up here, it's amazing that the sight of the town and the sunset has never gotten old... It's only gotten more and more beautiful." she commented.

Roxas nodded, "Yeah, that's the magic of this place, isn't it?" he said looking outwards, "I think... maybe some of it comes from all the memories we've shared together here. Some of them happy, some silly or sad, or some we don't even want to remember, but every time we watch the sunset from here, it's a little reminder of all those moments we've had together."

Xion turned her attention from the town to Roxas, and he paused, not quite being able to read the expression on her face. "Or, well, something like that. Maybe it's just 'cause we've associated being up here with getting to put ice cream in our mouths." He took a bite out of his ice cream, it tasted a little sweeter than usual today. "Right?"

He heard Xion having a little giggle, "Hehe, maybe all this time our brains have made us enjoy coming up here to trick us into eating more ice cream." Xion joked, "But really, every time I look out into the town, I've been starting to think about how perfect of a place this is to raise our family... Wouldn't you agree, Roxas?"

Hearing that put a smile on his face, "Yeah, it really is... Then again, it's not like I could imagine anywhere else we'd have our family. This place is home, after all."

Xion nodded, "And when we have our baby, we can have her sit up here and eat ice cream with us!" she exclaimed, "I think she'll sit... right here, between us." She adjusted her hand around Roxas's for emphasis.

"That won't be too long from now," Roxas said, moving his other hand to rub her belly, "Just a little longer, then we can introduce our baby to the world, and start our new lives as parents." It was only earlier in the year that Roxas had felt his new life starting with Xion when they had gotten married, yet now it seemed like everything in his life was changing once again with the upcoming birth of their child—no more than a couple weeks away.

"Yeah... I've been thinking a lot lately about how... weird it is that I'm actually going to be a mom, actually," Xion said, "I mean, I wasn't made to be anything more than a weapon, a replica of someone else, and if I actually were, I wouldn't even be a woman in the first place, let alone a mother, so..."

"Xion..." Roxas inched closer to her, wanting to comfort her, but she kept talking.

"It's fine, Roxas, really. None of that matters anymore. Actually, it makes me more grateful for everything we have now." Xion assured him, putting her other hand on top of his on her pregnant stomach, "That we can be together peacefully like this, knowing that our feelings for each other are real, that everything we have is real—that we're real. With nothing to take any of that from us."

He felt his heart warm up hearing her reminder, looking into her eyes and admiring the way the sunset reflected onto her face. He smiled, "You're right. I'm just glad our baby will grow up happy, not having to go through any of what we did," he said, "Oh, I can't wait to meet her... I wonder what kind of person she'll grow up to be."

Xion looked over to him, "I guess we'll find that out when she's born, huh?" she said, "But I feel like, even though she's not born yet, she's already developing her own little personality."

Roxas looked at her curiously, "How can you tell?"

"Well, I can tell she loves affection by the way she always kicks when you rub my tummy," Xion explained, "And those weird cravings I get? I think those are the kinds of foods she likes, and she's trying to get me to feed them to her."

Roxas chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind next time you get some crazy idea for dinner," he joked, "Either way, I just hope she ends up being as sweet and kind and funny as you are, Xion."

"Oh Roxas, you know we've already had this discussion before," Xion said, "You hoped she'd be more like me, and I hoped she'd to be more like you. Do you remember the conclusion we came to?"

"That she should eat sea-salt ice cream so she could be like the both of us?" Roxas asked, getting a stare from Xion, "Heh, just kidding, I remember. We decided that, no matter what traits she takes from either of us, all that matters is that she's her own person, never having to wonder who or what she is, because we'll love her for the person that she is."

Xion nodded and tightened her hold on his hand, "Mhm, and as long as you remember that, you'll be the perfect father for our child."

He leaned his head in a little closer to hers, their noses almost touching, "And you'll be the best mother ever. I have no doubts about that."

"But Roxas, I—" Roxas was quick to cut her off by closing what little distance remained between their lips, giving her a tender kiss. She was probably about to say something about how it wouldn't be fair to call her the best mother with all the other mothers out there, but that didn't matter. All that mattered to Roxas was that she'd be the best to him.


End file.
